The Newtown bee., 1887-11-11
Our New York Letter.

new ingredient has been added to those already seething in the political cauldron of this city. The labor vote, which practically made it's first appearance as distinct factor last year and demand ed large share of public attention not withstanding its hastY organization, has l increased in size and importance until 1t has now reached the dignity of separate name. The United Labor party. headed i by Henry George, has, after a long strug- I gle. obtained permission to station it's in spectors at the various polling places. This is right and proper and in strict ac- cordance with recent law of the State, which allowed the party casting over 50.- 900 votes the privilege of appointing sep arate inspector. The delay in granting l this acknowledged right was caused by l the opposition of the Socialists and An- archists, whom the genuine laboring men l had wisely excluded from their ranks. These creatures, whose antipathy to work | of any kind more severe than that of de- l livering intiammatory speeches is we'll 1 known, formed what they had the inso- lence to call the Progressive Labor party and, claiming to represent the 6S,000 vot- CTS of last November, demanded as their right the selection of the extra inspectors. | It only needed a careful examination of l the proofs to convince every disinterested observer that they Ire merely an insgnifi- cant minority Gratifying as this Is, show ing that the wage earners are opposed, as a body, to the confscation or destruction of the wealth belonging to their more for | tunate brethren, still there are many l things in the conduct and theories of the man who directs the actions of the new party that may we'll arouse the apprehen- sion of serious thinkers. h recent num- Der of the Standard, MT Georges paper, 1 the following curious statement is printed: 1 Your father lived in . house. You live in a flat. What security have you that your son will not be compelled to live in tenement house?' Study the platform of the United Labor party and you will see that in the success of that party lies the only guarantee of the future happiness of your children" The evident purpose of this article is to persuade the casual read CT that the evils attending a crowded and rapidly growing population are directly and entirely produced by private proper | ty in land; for the plank in the party | platform to which it refers expressly states that land should be taxed so heavily as to absorb the rent. The holding of land for 1 speculative purposes having been thus rendered unprofitabe, the advocates of this doctrine seem to think that houses would be built in abundance in the most convenient places and each man supplied l with comforta ble home of his own. The l idea of the writer appears, in brief, to be 1 this: Flats are built and occupied simply | because vast numbers of lots are held at such exorbitant figures by their cruel and avariclous owners that no one can afford to build small houses upon them. II re- quires very little thought to See how false this theory is. Accessibility is most de sirable attribute in home and his pric- es readily paid for inferior quarters near the great centers of trade ana amuse- ment. Many man, to save half or three quarters of an hour in his daily journey to and from business, twill surrender [ h. con- | forts and attractions of a neat little house, where, as some author has expressed t, he has door step of his own, for longitud- inal stri D in one of those human bee hives that tower high above the heads of the passing throng The space in the heart of a city is necessarily limited and, in many cases, these colossal buildings are erected as much to supply popular demand aS to benefit the owners. Then, fashion has a potent influence in all such maj ters. It has become custom among certain rich and influential set, for one reason or another, some of which it is difficult to uuderst and
 to praise the advantage of living on a floor
 So far has this gone, indeed, that higher rents have been paid in some cases for such accommodations than for hand some house on one of our best thorough fares. The natural result of this artificial stimulus is to increase the price of every grade and the poor man is forced by the whim of his richer neighbor to pay much more than it's actual value for his humble abode. Whether the members of he next generation shall dwell in swa rming tene- ments or not depends in a great measure upon themselves. As the city grows larg- CT and larger, the number of those seeking to live in or near the center must increase and. if they are willing to herd toge htI like cattle, the means will be furnished them The only way out of { he difficulty is to relieve the point where he congestion occurs. Draw the supertuous blood from the trunk to the extremities and every part will be more healthy. Let those who cannot afford 10 live in comfort amd the rush and turmoil of the city remove to the suburbs where rents are always chtap per
 Some, no doubt, will be forced to remain
 With them we can sympathize, even while we acknowledge that their fate is due more 10 the inexorable laws of Nature than to the greedy demands of the land holders
 Two men cannot occupy space ony large enough for one. To augment the tax on real property until the holders were utter ly ruined, as Mir George proposes. would not add a single foot to the available land surface of the city. Tenements would still be required and myriads of human beings would seek shelter under their roofs Ten ement houses are not merely the products of modern civilization. which has rendered the close connection of men necessary foI their own preservation. but are also the inevitable, if miserable. accompaniments of dense population.-[F. F. NJ Burr.
 New York, November ', 1887.